My Sanctuary
by Ripuku
Summary: A contest entry for thatreevesgirl...hopefully . Gaara shows up in Konohagakure injured and ill. Can Naruto help him get better and find out why he's there? Chapter 8 ZE END! NaruGaara.
1. Chapter 1

Contest entry for thatreevesgirl. woot.

999blee999

Naruto couldn't concentrate. He was constantly staring off into space, completely ignoring what Sakura was trying to tell him. He had grasped the first few words before drifting off again, his thoughts speeding over plains, mountains and finally desert, before landing on a certain red haired Sand ninja. He could distinctly remember the shinobi's trademark scowl, the way he would smirk at Naruto's stupidity.

'Gaara,' he thought, 'I wonder what you're doing.'

He became vaguely aware of Sakura trying to get his attention.

"Hn? What? Sorry Sakura, I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"Ugh, I give up Naruto!" the pink haired Kunoichi threw her arms up in exhasperation, "You're always daydreaming!"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

He was about to leave when Sakura stopped him.

"What's going on over there?" she pointed over at the gates of the village. A large group of people had gathered there and they were being quite noisy.

Naruto and Sakura hurried over to see what the commotion was about. They began pushing their way through the throng of people, Naruto recieving the usual scowls and insults. Naruto pointedly ignored them and continued forward. He caught snatches of conversation. The speakers weren't even bothering to lower their voices.

"We don't need two monsters here-"

"Sand ninjas shouldn't even be allowed here anymore-"

"Especially him-"

'Gaara,' thought Naruto, shoving people aside with more force.

He finally made it through and saw Gaara lying on the ground, his gourd lying a few feet from him. He was surrounded by Sasuke clones. Feeling Kyuubi begin to stir, he stormed up and shoved two of them aside. They were sent flying and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What the hell did you do to him you bastard?" he shouted at Sasuke. Sasuke looked him full in the face and said nothing.

Naruto sank down onto one knee and examined the Sand-nin. Gaara was conscious, but covered in scrapes and bruises. Worst of all, he was burning with fever. Naruto put one hand one Gaara's face and stroked his cheek with his thumb. Gaara looked up at him through a fevered haze.

"N...Na...Naruto?" he stammered, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.

"I didn't do all of that to him you know." Said Sasuke, matter-of-factly.

Kyuubi wanted out. Now. "Why did you do any of it to him?" Naruto's voice was calm. Unnervingly calm.

"Considering what he did to this village last time he was here, I wasn't about to take any chances."

"The fuck you couldn't! He's got a fever! Look at the state he's in!" Naruto was on his feet now, hands clenched tightly at his sides.

'Hey, Kyuubi. Wanna help me make a point?' he asked the demon sharing his body.

Naruto could feel his chakra level rise, his nails lengthen, and his eyes change. Everyone knew it was bad to try to talk to him in this state. Sasuke was unpreturbed.

"I could care less how he is, Naruto. He's a threat and a danger to this village. Just like you."

"Now I remember why I hate you Sasuke."

"Why's that?"

"You're a prick."

Naruto turned his attention back to Gaara. The sand-nin was tryng not to pass out, Naruto could tell by the way he was breathing. He walked over and picked up the sand gourd. He tied it over his shoulder and walked back over to Gaara. He knelt down once more and picked him up bridal style. Sasuke made a move to stop him, and Naruto flared his chakra.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he snarled, revealing elongated teeth.

He made his way back through the crowd. The villagers were almost tripping in their haste to get out of his way.

The walk to his house was a long one. He cursed every time he hit a bump in the road, but not because it hurt, it was more for Gaara's sake. The Sand-nin had fainted long ago, but was looking worse every minute. He finally reached his house and kicked the door open. He heard the lock break, and cursed again. Staggering under the weight of the gourd on his back and Gaara, he managed to get Gaara on to his bed before collapsing. Kyuubi had dissolved back into the deeper recessess of his mind, which explained his sudden lack of energy. He turned, shut the door, and removed the gourd from his back.

Groaning, he shuffled into the bathroom for supplies. He got several rags, some antiseptic, and two basins. He filled one with warm water, the other cold. He carefully washed Gaara's face, before applying antiseptic to the scrapes. The sand ninja's face furrowed at the sting of the antiseptic, and he awoke.

"Hey Gaara." Said Naruto softly.

Gaara didn't answer. He slowly blinked his green eyes and turned his head away from Naruto.

"Hey, don't be like that, I'm trying to help." Naruto puffed out his cheeks and sighed.

Gaara still didn't say anything. Naruto could tell he wasn't very happy, but decided not to press into the matter.

"You should sleep. You have a fever." He reached over to turn Gaara's head toward him, but Gaara grabbed his wrist and squeezed it tightly.

"I don't want your pity. Leave me alone."

"Ah...G...Gaara...you're hurting me."

Gaara released his arm and dropped his own onto the bed. Naruto rubbed his sore wrist.

"And besides. If I sleep, _he'll _come out."

"No he won't. I highly doubt Shukaku" -Gaara flinched at the name- "will be able to anything with your body in this condition. And besides, I'm Kyuubi, remember? I can keep him under control."

Gaara digested this for a moment, then turned his head upward.

"Fine."

Naruto got up and left, probably to the kitchen to eat. Gaara fought against the urge to close his eyes for as long as he could. Finally, sleep overcame him and he drifted into a dreamless slumber.

----

Naruto walked out of the kitchen a few moments later. Gaara had fallen asleep and would probably be out for a little while. Naruto sat back down beside the bed and continued to administer first aid to the sand nin. His main concern was Gaara's alarming fever. He knew that because of the desert he lived in, Gaara would be warmer than most people, but his face was definately warmer than it should have been.

He placed a wet cloth across the sand ninja's face and and began to wrap his arms in cloth bandages. He silently marveled at how thin Gaara was, and how beautiful he looked asleep.

Naruto blushed at his own thoughts. He had never actually applied the term to another man before, much less a former enemy. He could hear Kyuubi chuckling in the back of his mind.

'What's so funny? Just a little bit ago you were raging enough to rival a hurricane.' he asked, amusement heavy in his question.

'Nothing, Kit. You just make me laugh.' was the reply.

'Why? Because I'm gay?'

'That's part of it.'

'What's the rest?'

'I'll tell you later. You may want to finish before he wakes up.'

Naruto turned his attention back to the sleeping redhead before him and continued to bandage his arm.

999blee999


	2. Chapter 2

Gaara woke to silence and an empty room. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember where he was and what had happened. He remembered leaving Suna and heading to Konoha. There was his first mistake, traveling alone. Then he had gotten ill when he had left the desert and entered forest. Another mistake, not getting help and continuing on.

The rest was a hazy blur. He could vaguely recall traveling through the forest and flatlands that surrounded Konoha. For the life of him though, he could not figure out why he had gotten sick. He racked his brain for every possibility and all he got was a headache. Then, to make things worse, he had run straight into Sasuke at the gate leading into the village. The Uchiha had easily beaten him, much to Sasuke's surprise.

Then Naruto had intervened, to everyone's surprise. He recalled being carried by the leaf nin, then black. When he had awoken the first time, Naruto was trying to help him, and he had tried to hurt him. A pang of guilt ran through him and he shivered slightly.

At least he knew where he was now, this must be Naruto's house. It certainly didn't look like any hospital he had ever seen, so this was one mystery solved. He groaned. His headache was growing worse. He lifted his hands to his forehead, noticing his arms and torso were bandaged as he did.

Tired of just laying on his back staring at the ceiling, Gaara rolled over and began to push himself into a sitting position. As his back and chest arched, a pain ripped through him. He barely bit back a cry, and a gasp escaped his lips. He curled into a ball, cursing his weakness and damning Sasuke to hell. When the pain had receeded, he slowly sat up and looked at the room he was in. The room was small and sparsely furnished. Naruto's signature orange jacket was draped over a chair sitting next to the single window. Ramen cups were scattered here and there, but otherwise the room was neatly kept.

He slid to the side of the bed and put one foot on the floor, sucking in his breath at the cold. He lowered his other foot and tried to stand. The sand, as it always had, came to his aid, supporting him so he could move to the window.

The sun had just begun to crest the tops of the buildings and houses of Konoha. Birds twittered in the trees and Gaara closed his eyes. He had never heard anything this quiet in the morning. Night was so lonely and quiet and Suna people were always up before the sun rose, to escape some of the intense heat.

His strength quickly gave out and, had it not been for the sand, he would have fallen. He all but collapsed into the chair Naruto's jacket was hanging from, holding his head in his hands. A headache was spreading throughout his skull and Shukaku was raging slightly.

After a few minutes of this, he heard a gentle tapping on the door. He lifted his head to see who it was. A second later, it opened and Naruto poked his blond head through.

"Ah! Good morning, Gaara!" he sadi giving Gaara a bright smile. Gaara put his head back in his hands.

Naruto pushed the door all the way open and revealed a tray in his hands. On the tray was a pair of scissors, a bottle of antiseptic, several rolls of guaze bandages, and a bowl of small red fruits Gaara had never seen before.

"How do you feel?" he asked, concern leaking into his voice and his normally grinning face. Gaara groaned in response.

Frowning, Naruto put the tray down on his bed and put a hand on Gaara's still warm forehead. Gaara looked up from his hands to see him. Naruto was dressed in a tight black shirt and his traditional orange sweatpants. His feet were bare and his leaf headband was gone, allowing his blonde hair to fall into his azure eyes. Gaara could feel his face getting red and quickly diverted his attention. His gaze fell on the fruits.

"W-what are those?" he asked quietly, his voice not wanting to work.

"You mean you've never had a strawberry before? Their like the best things in the world! Well, besides Ramen of course. Eh...Gaara? Do you feel alright? Your face is red."

Gaara nodded and Naruto handed him the bowl. He nibbled cautiously at the end of one. Finding it to be delicious, he quickly finished it.

"Good, eh?"

He nodded and picked up another. Naruto had a few, and soon they were all gone. Gaara wiped the sticky red juice off his chin and handed the bowl to Naruto. He set it aside and picked up the scissors. Gaara flinched visibly, thinking Naruto was going to hurt him with them. Naruto saw his reaction and quickly tried to calm him.

"No, Gaara! I'm not going to hurt you! Your bandages need to be replaced is all!"

Gaara relaxed but still looked wary of the leaf nin.

"Trust me, 'kay?" Naruto held out his hand to help Gaara out of the chair. Gaara hesitated, then accepted.

When he was standing, he let go of Naruto's hand and attempted to take a step. He wavered, and slipped sideways. Expecting to hit the hard floor, he was surprised to fall into Naruto. Not used to close physical contact, he began squirming, trying to get away.

"Gaara! Hold still! I don't wanna drop you!" yelled Naruto, as he came close to being hit in the face.

Gaara fell still, realizing how silly he was being. Naruto helped him stand and he looked rather embarassed with himself. He sat down on the bed, keeping his gaze fixed on the blanket in front of him. Naruto began unwrapping the bandage on his left arm, watching his reaction the entire time. Gaara made no notion that he even acknowledged the action.

Only when Naruto had fully removed the bandage did Gaara look at his arm. When he saw, he hissed in anger and the sand whirled about the room.

A long gash ran down his arm, still oozing blood. There was a number of other scrapes, cuts and bruises, but this was the most disturbing. Gaara winced hugely as the air came into contact with it and it stung and throbbed. Tears sprang into his eyes and he quickly looked down, hoping Naruto wouldn't see his emotions. If he did see, Naruto said nothing. Instead, he stood up and picked something up from the tray he had placed on the bed earlier.

Gaara looked up to see what it was. It was a needle and thread. He looked at Naruto, then at his arm, and then at Naruto again.

"Great..." he mumbled.

"Yeah...um...I tried to do it while you were asleep, but the sand kept blocking me. Can you keep it from doing it so you won't lose your arm?"

"When did you become a med nin?" snapped Gaara, not wishing to be stabbed repeatedly by a piece of pointed metal.

"Well, Ero-sennin taught me some, and Sakura helped out a lot."

Gaara dropped his head and sighed. He lifted his arm slightly, a silent permission for Naruto to help him. Naruto smiled reassuringly and sat next to Gaara. Naruto felt the sand nin tense as he placed the tip of the needle at the lip of the wound.

"Please relax, Gaara. I can't do this if you're as stiff as a piece of wood. Besides, it'll hurt more if you don't."

Gaara looked at him sideways and complied. Naruto could see the sand swirling around the floor, obviously confused.

Naruto quickly pushed the needle through the skin nearest the wound. Gaara gasped loudly and lurched away from him, the sand wrapping itself around Naruto's wrist and constricting. Narutostoppped, gently pulling Gaara back toward him by an uninjured portion of his arm. The sand slowly receeded, and Naruto continued.

Slowly, stitch by stitch, the wound on Gaara's arm was closed. Naruto looked up occasionally between stitches to make sure Gaara was okay. The tanuki had his eyes shut, lips mumbling something Naruto couldn't make out. The sand drifted over the floors, the walls, the bed, jerking when a wave of pain washed through Gaara. It crawled over his skin, warning him to try to harm Gaara. He ignored it, knowing Gaara didn't have total control of the sand.

Finally, he tied off the last one and Gaara visibly relaxed, almost falling over. The sand fell to the floor, reflecting Gaara's exhaustion.

"What did you tell it?" asked Naruto as he began to wrap the newly stitched wound with gauze.

"That...it...was a good...pain," said Gaara slowly, between breaths, "It confused it enough...for you..." He closed his eyes and shifted slightly.

"Hey, don't go to sleep on me!"

Gaara opened one eye. "I can't, you know that."

"It was a joke, you look ready to pass out."

Naruto pushed him back up and rewrapped the rest of Gaara's torso and his lower legs. Afterwards, he made them both lunch, miraculously having something for Gaara other than Ramen.They ate in mostly silence, Naruto occasionally popping in a question or two for Gaara.

"Gaara?"

"Hn?"

"I have to go meet Kakashi-sensei and the others for training. Do you want to come- I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I would like it if you did, and well-"

"Naruto."

Naruto stopped his ramblings and looked up at Gaara. There was a playful light dancing in the nin's eyes, something Naruto had never seen in him before. A smile was tugging at his lips.

"You talk too much."

Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrasment.

"Well, you don't talk enough, so it evens out."

Gaara chuckled quietly and allowed Naruto to help him stand. Naruto tossed him a long sleeved shirt to hide the bandages and he carefully pulled it on. They were almost ready, when-

"Gaara? Do you need your gourd?"

Gaara thought for a moment, then shook his head no. Naruto opened the door and supported Gaara on his shoulder. He locked it, and the two jinchuuriki walked out into the bright streets of Konohagakure.


	3. Chapter 3

Gaara looked about him as they walked down the main street. He could see the glares the townspeople gave him as they went past. He felt Naruto's shoulders droop and his head tipped forward in his sadness. Or was it shame? Gaara didn't really know.

He sighed. "Naruto."

Naruto whipped his head up and looked at Gaara.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! Never better! Believe it!" Naruto now had a huge fake grin on his face.

But Gaara could see the hurt in his eyes and the subtle body movements that betrayed his true feelings. He knew better than anyone what that lonely hurt was, the feeling of being hated by all. He suddenly wondered...

"Naruto? How many friends do you have?"

This time, Naruto did not hid the hurt and pain in his heart.

"I...don't have any friends...I have teamates...but I don't..."

"Will you be my friend?"

Naruto's head turned so fast, Gaara could have sworn he heard a small 'crack!'.

"R-really Gaara?"

Gaara nodded. He let out a surprised yelp when Naruto pulled him into a huge hug.

"Thank you Gaara!! You have no idea how happy this makes me!"

Gaara allowed himself to smile at Naruto's happiness.

"Gaara! You _can _smile!"

"Of course I can smile. I just don't."

Naruto laughed and released Gaara from the hug. He wrapped Gaara's right arm around his shoulders and kicked off from the ground. He leaped from roof to roof toward the meeting place, a bright grin lighting up his features as they went.

999blee999

They were early, for which Naruto was glad. It saved a little bit of unwanted explaining. If Gaara was there, he was there. Gaara slipped his arm out of Naruto's grasp and sat down under a tree with sand at it's base. He made a figure of Sasuke from the sand and promptly crushed it. Naruto watched for a moment, then began warming up his chakra by walking up the same tree. It was Gaara's turn to watch him, while torturing a new Sasuke figure.

They only had to wait for a few minutes before Sasuke and Sakura walked into the area. Sasuke and Naruto glared at each other and looked in opposite directions. If Sasuke was surprised at all to see Gaara there, he didn't show it. The two of them death glared each other, Gaara still mutilating the sand carving.

Naruto dropped down from the tree and whispered something into the tanuki's ear that made the both of them laugh. Sasuke ignored them and turned away. Kakashi showed up about thirty seconds later.

"You're late, Sensei!"

"Sorry, everybody! I saw this cat up in a tree and-"

"Oh shut up! If you're going to lie, at least try to make it believable!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at his sensei.

Kakashi laughed and his gaze fell on Gaara, who had been watching all of this in stony silence.

"Oh, I see we have a guest today. Hello, Gaara."

Gaara waved one hand in greeting while Naruto began explaining everything.

"Uh, yeah. You probably heard about yesterday and now he's staying with me for a little while."

"I heard. Which reminds me...Tsunade wants to see you later today."

"Ugh, what does Tsunade baa-chan want now?" groaned Naruto, throwing his hand up in the air.

999

In her office, Tsunade abruptly stopped what she was doing.

"THAT BRAT JUST CALLED ME OLD AGAIN!! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!!!"

999

Naruto felt a sudden chill.

"I don't know what she wants Naruto," said Kakashi, shrugging, "But you need to see her. I expect it's about Gaara."

Gaara and Naruto both furrowed their brows and frowned. They did so perfectly in synch, Sakura had to hold back giggles. She didn't quite succeed and everyone stared at her. She blushed and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Kakashi shrugged again and turned back the to the rest of them.

"Okay, today I am going to teach you all a new technique, and then we will do the bell test again. But with a twist."

"A new technique? All right!!!" Shouted Naruto, punching the air in his excitement.

"Calm down Naruto. Gaara, you may join us if you like."

Gaara stood up and joined Naruto, careful to stay away from Sasuke.

"Okay, everybody, partner up!" called Kakashi.

They really didn't need to think about it. It was obvious that Gaara was Naruto's partner. Sasuke grudgingly paired up with Saura, who was beside herself with joy.

"Now then. This is a summoning jutsu. Naruto, you summon toads right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well this jutsu will allow you to summon any person you want. Spread apart a little from your partner."

They did so and looked at Kakashi.

"Now then, Naruto, Sasuke, with your blood, draw your partner's village symbol on the ground."

Naruto and Sasuke quickly bit their own thumbs. Naruto drew the symbol for sand and Sasuke drew the leaf.

"Now focus on who you want to summon. It's very important that you picture them clearly or else this won't work."

Naruto grinned inwardly. This was easy. He could summon up an image of Gaara in an instant. He did it all the time. But still, best be safe. He closed his eyes and pictured the sand nin with his normal glare and crossed arms. With his wonderful shade of hair and green eyes.

"Now, make the following signs and slam your hand into the center of the symbol! Horse-dog-ram-dragon-tiger!"

There was a flurry of hands and with a poof, Gaara and Sakura appeared on their respective symbols. Kakashi applauded Naruto and Sasuke. Then it was the other two's turn. Gaara did not slice his thumb with his teeth, as it would rile up Shukaku, and Sakura looked confused. She didn't understand why he would try to do that, when he may not have the chance to do so in battle.

He drew out the Konoha leaf and performed the hand symbols faster than any of them could see. Naruto appeared with a poof, Sasuke appearing a moment later.

"Awesome job, Gaara!" said Naruto, giving him a high five.

"You too." was his quiet reply, the first time he had spoken since arriving.

"Yes, excellent job, all of you. Now then, we will be doing the bell test again, but this time you're on your own. You have thirty minutes to try to take the bell from me. We will limit it to this area. Sakura? You first then?"

Thirty minutes ticked by and though she came close, Sakura failed to take the bell from Kakashi. Sasuke managed to get it right as the time ran out. Fifteen minutes, and Naruto had his bell. Then it was Gaara's turn.

He walked out to face Kakashi, the sand whirling to form the sand armor. He gave Kakashi his famous glare and kicked off from the ground. He didn't go right out and trap the jonin, where was the fun in that? Five minutes of this went by, when Gaara suddenly felt short of breath. His chest didn't feel right. He could feel his temperature rising slowly.

'Damn.' he thought, better finish this up.

With a burst of speed, he snatched the bell from Kakashi and skidded to a stop.

"Wow, Gaara! You are awesome!" came Naruto's shout.

Gaara grinned. Then, a tremor shook him, and he collapsed, the sand armor falling off as he did.

"Gaara!"

999blee999

oops, cliffie! X3 Hate me yet?


	4. Chapter 4

_"Gaara!"_

999

"Oh my god! Gaara!" Naruto ran to his friend's side, panic-stricken.

Gaara's face was burning and he wasn't breathing right. He went into a coughing fit that lasted all too long. Sakura and Kakashi knelt down to help, while Sasuke stood back.

"Sakura! You trained with the med nins, what's going on?" Naruto was close to tears now. Gaara had one of his hands in a death grip and began coughing again.

"Hang on...let me think...Wait! Naruto, what's the environment of a desert like?"

"Hot, flat, dry-"

"Exactly, and what is Konoha like?"

"Forested, um, rainy... humid?"

"Yes! So Gaara is used to dry and arid, right? So the humidity and wet conditions are impeding his ability to breathe!"

"What do we do?"

"Let him die, I say."

"No one asked you, you fucking teme!" Naruto stood and faced down the Uchiha, while Sakura began to form the hand signs for a jutsu.

"I swear, you get to be a bigger prick every day! I can't stand you! You're an arrogant son of a-"

"And what does that make you?" Interrupted Sasuke.

"Better than you!"

With that, Naruto ran up and punched Sasuke in the face. In the punch was all of his anger and frustration toward the raven-haired ninja. Sasuke fell back, taking Naruto with him. The two rolled around on the ground, each one trying to gain leverage over the other. Kakashi just watched, while Sakura continued to administer her aid to Gaara, who obviously wanted to get up and stop the fight.

"Enough, Gaara! You can help when you can breathe!"

Naruto and Sasuke were standing again, both breathing heavily. Naruto wiped away a small stream of blood that was running out of his mouth. He glared daggers at Sasuke who easily gave him the look back. He grit his teeth and clenched both of his fists.

"I'm gonna kill you!" His eyes were turning red, and his whisker marks deepening, like someone had colored them. His nails lengthened, and his canine teeth sharpened into points. He was about to leap at Sasuke, when someone wrapped their arms around him.

"Enough." Came a voice from behind him, muffled because the speaker had their face pressed into his back.

"Gaara..." Naruto began calming, his teeth and nails shortening, and his eyes reverting to their normal color.

Gaara collapsed onto him, utterly exhausted. Naruto hoisted him into a piggy-back and turned away from Sasuke. Sasuke didn't stay any longer, he vanished in a whirlwind of leaves.

"Sakura, what do I need to do to keep Gaara from dying on me?"

"Make sure he's well rested, that's the important thing. I'll stop by later to check up on him, just make sure he rests."

Naruto nodded, then vanished as well.

999blee999

A few moments later, Naruto reappeared at his front door. He opened it, and walked inside. He carefully lowered Gaara onto his bed and collapsed in a nearby chair. Gaara didn't move, except to wrap himself in a blanket.

"I'm sorry, Gaara."

"For what?" Gaara looked at him from underneath th blanket.

"For nearly getting you killed." Naruto put his head in his hands. Gaara carefully stood and walked over to him. He knelt down beside the blonde and wrapped his arms around him, breaking his own limits of how close he got to people. Naruto started, then relaxed.

"I forgive you..."


	5. Chapter 5

999blee999

The two sat there for what seemed like an eternity, but what may have only been a few minutes. Naruto still had to go see Tsunade before she came to kill him for not showing up. He bent and carefully picked Gaara up bridal style, blanket and all, before setting him back on the bed.

"I'll be back soon, Gaara, so rest, please? I don't think I could bear it if something else were to happen." Gaara nodded, and wrapped himself tighter in the blanket.

Naruto left quietly, leaving the red-headed Tanuki to himself. Gaara inhaled Naruto's smell and sighed. He could hear Shukaku talking to him.

"Getting all cuddly are we?"

"Shut up, Shukaku, I don't feel like talking to you right now."

"Oh you don't? Too bad."

"I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you." Gaara glared at the Tanuki.

Gaara sighed. "Why can't we be like them?"

"Like who?"

"Kyuubi and Naruto."

"Now why in HELL would you want to be like THEM?!"

"Because they can at least tolerate each other. I'm sick of this bickering and inability to sleep. I want to _dream_ once in my life. Why do you have to be such a destructive ass?"

"It is my nature, and I like to kill things. I don't like you. That is why I do not tolerate you. Get over it you spoiled brat."

With that, Shukaku went back into the further recesses of Gaara's mind, leaving Gaara to his own thoughts. He sighed again and sat up. Pulling the blanket to his face he breathed in the scent of the leaf nin. Naruto smelled like rain. Something the desert saw very little of. He rolled off the bed and walked to the window chair and sat in it, watching the life of Konoha. He could see the Hokage tower from where he was and just caught sight of Naruto as he walked inside.

Resting his head on his arm, Gaara wondered what Temari and Kankuro were doing, now that he was gone. Probably didn't really care, seeing's how most of Konoha was still intact. It was depressing really, having only one person who really cared about him.

He gave a weak cough. Sakura's jutsu had somehow made it easier for him to breathe, but hadn't entirely fixed his problem.

'So that's what made me sick. The humidity. Why didn't I think of that?'

"Because you're an idiot."

"I didn't ask you, Shukaku."

He continued to stare out the window until he caught a glimpse of orange moving at a high speed toward him. Judging by his movements, Naruto was very upset about something. A moment later, the door flew open and Gaara found himself in the presence of a _very_ unhappy Naruto.

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto broke down into tears. Gaara got up, closed the door and turned back to the sobbing ninja. Naruto had slid down the wall onto the floor and now Gaara sat next to him.

"T-t-they s-said that y-you have t-to leave! A-and t-that if y-you don't, they're g-gonna k-k-kill you!" stammered Naruto through his tears.

Gaara was dumbstruck. Leaving eventually was something the two of them would have to come to terms with anyway, but death threats? That was the reason he left Suna in the first place! To get away from the hateful people.

"Don't worry, Naruto," he said quietly, "They can't kill me. My uncle couldn't and he probably knew everyone of my weaknesses."

"You don't have weaknesses."

"Of course I do. I'm not a machine like most people think. I'm human, plain and simple."

"The others don't see it that way."

"Fuck what the others see."Naruto was startled at Gaara's words. He had never heard him use profanity like that before, even when he was Shukaku.

"When are they going to make me leave?"

"As soon as you're all better. Then they won't have any more hospitality for you. Tsunade tried to change their minds, but they won't listen. They don't like you for what you did in the Chunin Exams."

"I was unstable."

"More like insane."

"Hey."

But Naruto was laughing now, his tears gone. Gaara was saddened now, the prospect of leaving looming in his mind. Naruto reached up and put his hand in Gaara's hair. Gaara looked up, confused.

"Gaara...I don't want you to leave."

"I don't want to go either." Gaara reached up and took Naruto's hand in this own.

"Gaara?"

"Hm?"

"I think I... I think I love you."


	6. Chapter 6

_"Gaara?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"I think I...I think I love you."_

999blee999

Before Gaara could say anything, Shukaku was raging in his head. He cried out and grabbed his head.

"Gaara? What's wrong? Is it what I said?"

Gaara shook his head. "Shukaku wants to talk to you. He's angry-Gaaah!!"

Naruto grabbed his arms and held him. "Can he do that?" Gaara nodded and went still. His arms fell from their positions and his head lolled. In the next instant, Naruto found himself pinned to the wall by a very angry Shukaku. Gaara had not physically changed, except his eyes were those of Shukaku.

"So Kyuubi brat. We meet again."

"Shukaku. Violent as always."

"Silence pitiful human. Else I shall rip out your throat. So, you're in love with my vessel, are you?"

"So? What's it to you?"

"I have to live with him constantly, dimwit!" Shukaku had twisted Gaara's face into a snarl that didn't suit his face at all. "If he loves you back, I'm going to be stuck hearing everything he'll think about you and I don't care for that lovey-dovey shit!"

"Well, we don't know his answer yet, do we, Mr. Overreactor?"

Shukaku/Gaara punched him in the jaw for that. Naruto slumped, held only by Shukaku's vice grip on his shirt.

"If anyone hurts my vessel, I will personally see to it that you die painfully, as well as everyone else in this pitiful village."

"Then I'll have to keep him safe won't I?" Naruto's eyes showed that he was serious and Shukaku released him.

"I'll trust you for now, but I'll be listening whether Gaara likes it or not." With that, Shukaku released Gaara.

"unnh...Naruto? What did he say?" Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he pulled a very surprised Tanuki into a kiss. He ran his tongue along Gaara's lower lip, asking for entrance. Gaara complied and found himself experiencing the single most wonderful thing he had ever experienced. Naruto didn't just smell like rain, he tasted like it. It left Gaara wanting more, so when Naruto broke it, he initiated another.

"Naruto," he said when they broke apart again, "Did you really mean what you said?"

"Of course I did, Gaara. I love you."

"I love you too, Naruto. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For teaching me how to live and love. Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you manage to stay so happy? When all people gave you was hate?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "By finding a place where I was happiest. When I felt sad, I went there to cheer up. My Sanctuary."

"Sanct...uary?"

"Yeah. It changes a lot, depending on how I feel. Do you know where it is now?"

"No, where?"

"Right here with you." Gaara laid his head on Naruto's chest. He smiled contentedly and the two of them stayed tat way for the rest of the afternoon.

999blee999

It was Naruto's growling stomach that finally made them get up. Before that though, Naruto took the oppurtunity to nuzzle his face in Gaara's hair. The sand nin smelled like the wind. Gaara blushed and turned his head to kiss Naruto again. Gaara ran a long finger along Naruto's jaw where the bijuu had punched him.

"Does it hurt?" he asked when Naruto flinched.

"Only a little. I've had worse." Gaara twitched slightly.

"Shukaku heard you. He said, 'You damn fox, I'm gonna kill you for that.'"

"Ooh, don't let him out." Naruto faked a panic and Gaara laughed at him. "Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's go to Ichiraku!"

"But-"

"Oh don't worry, Oji-san likes everybody. You'll be okay."

So, the two set off once again into Konoha. Gaara was becoming increasingly nervous as they walked further into town. As they were walking, a little girl carrying a three scoop ice cream cone bumped into Gaara and dropped it. She began to cry and her father, who was walking a little ways behind her, began to panic when he saw who she had hit. Instead of harming her, as he would have done in the past, Gaara helped he steady herself. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some money.

"I'm sorry I made you drop it. Go get five this time." he smiled at her and she smiled back. She ran back to her father, who promptly left the area.

He rejoined Naruto, who was grinning from ear to ear. "What?"

"That was nice of you. Though you should have seen the look on that guy's face. He thought you were gonna do something bad!"

They finally reached the Ramen stand and sat down.

"Hey! Oji-san! Two bowls please!" called Naruto.

Oji-san looked out to see who it was. "Oh, hello, Naruto! Who's your friend?"

"This is Gaara." said Naruto wrapping an arm around Gaara's shoulders. Gaara blushed a little at the contact and Oji-san laughed.

"Coming right up!" He disappeared into the back.

"See? Told you he would like you!"

"Be quiet." Naruto laughed at his lover's attempts to pout at him and removed his arm. A moment later, two bowls of Ramen were sitting in front of them. They broke apart their chopsticks and ate, Naruto a bit more enthusiastically than Gaara.

999blee999


	7. Chapter 7

Yay lemony zestness in this chappie!! Must go change rating, excuse me... don't like? Skip this section. It won't hurt my feelings if you do There is more after the lemon, so don't just skip to the next chapter.

999blee999

"Uwaahh!" Naruto yawned, "That was good!" The two were now walking back towards Naruto's apartment from the Ramen stand.

"I still can't believe you can eat that much." said Gaara, still in shock at the six bowls Naruto had consumed.

"Aw, that's nothing compared to what I used to be able to eat." Gaara mimed vomiting and Naruto laughed. They reached the apartment and Naruto unlocked it. As soon as the door was shut, Naruto pulled Gaara into a passionate kiss.

"God, Gaara, you are just too beautiful." He nuzzled Gaara's neck, recieving a groan in answer.

Naruto pulled Gaara down onto the bed, kissing his neck and jaw, causing Gaara to gasp with pleasure. The Tanuki entwined his fingers in Naruto's blonde hair and tugged slightly. Naruto took the hint and removed Gaara's shirt. He lightly ran his fingers over the bandages still covering Gaara's chest. Gaara's breath hitched as Naruto brushed against a sensitive cut, and Naruto nipped his collarbone, recieving another moan.

"Ah, G-god Naruto." Gaara managed, Naruto was doing wonderful things to him. Things he had never experienced before. Shukaku was going nuts, whether from heat or anger, Gaara didn't care to know.

Naruto claimed his mouth again and Gaara tugged on his hair some more. Naruto could feel himself growing hard and his mind was screaming at him. He could tell that Gaara was experiencing the same thing and ground his hips against Gaara's. Gaara let out a loud gasp, almost a feral cry. Naruto saw stars and wanted more. Kyuubi was growling.

Naruto removed his own shirt and Gaara decided to have some fun of his own. He rolled over on top of Naruto. Naruto raised one eyebrow, but said nothing. Gaara began leaving a trail of kisses on Naruto, starting at his jaw. It continued down his neck and chest. Gaara stopped there and ran his tongue down to one of Naruto's nipples. He toyed with it until Naruto cried out in ecstasy. Then Naruto stopped him. Gaara could see the lust and desire in the Kyuubi container's eyes. He liked knowing he had this effect on the ninja. Naruto rolled back on top and began torturing him again with kisses and licks.

Finally, Naruto had had enough of torturing the poor Tanuki and decided to take things further. He let his hands roam over Gaara's stomach, moving down towards the waistband of his pants. Gaara's hips bucked and he moaned. Naruto slowly undid the button and zipper, causing Gaara to wriggle with impatience.

What followed was the single most amazing thing Gaara had ever experienced. It just kept getting better.

999blee999

The next morning, Naruto awoke to Gaara curled against his chest, watching him sleep.

"Good morning Gaara-kun." said Naruto, nuzzling him with his nose.

"'Morning Naruto." Gaara pressed himself closer to Naruto and buried his face in his neck, tickling Naruto's chin with his hair.

"Gaara! That tickles! Stop!" Naruto was trying to push Gaara away, but he didn't move.

"Hey, you're ticklish, aren't you?" an evil grin spread across his face.

"Why...?" Naruto began scooting away from the red- head. He yelped when Gaara jumped on him and began tickling his sides.

"AH! Gaara S-stop it!" he cried while laughing uncontrollably and occasionally squealing.

"No." Gaara was laughing with him. He yelled as Naruto flung him off and began attacking _him_.

"Gaara! You're ticklish, too!" Gaara tried to roll away from him, but failed. Naruto let him up and they both panted.

"How long did it take you to figure it out?"

"Only when you squealed."

"I did not!" Gaara threw a pillow at his head, which Naruto caught and threw back.

"Come on lets get cleaned up so we can go meet teh others. Ugh...Sasuke teme's gonna be there again. Damn him."

Gaara didn't say anything until the two of them were both clean and out the door.

999blee999

Awww...disappointed? Too bad. X3 I am teh evil!


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry about the short zest last time. I wanted to torture my readers some X3. Sorry/ducks thrown items/ Almost done now!!

999blee999

When they walked outside, they were met with a strange sight indeed. It seemed that all of Konagakure was assembled outside of Naruto's apartment building.

"Wh-what's going on?" asked Naruto in disbelief at what he was seeing. Gaara hid behind him knowing what they were here for.

"We are here for Gaara!" shouted a man who was obviously the leader. As he said it, several ANBU members appeared and grabbed Gaara.

"Hey!" Gaara and Naruto shouted at the same time, Gaara tried to escape, but his captors had him held tightly. Several other ANBU's tried to detain Naruto, but Kyuubi broke through and he threw them off. The crowd backed away as Kyuubi Naruto glared at them. The ANBU guards kept a good distance from him, Gaara still stuggling to free himself. One of them wrapped an arm around his neck and began choking him. Unable to breathe, he fell still. Gaara was slowly turning red, then purple. It was clear that the Ninja wasn't going to let up. Naruto realized that he was breaking his promise to Shukaku to never let anyone harm Gaara. Naruto snapped.

"Gaara!" roared Naruto. He let loose a feral scream and launched himself at the ANBU who was doing the choking and dug his claws into the man's mask. The ninja dropped Gaara and tried to fight off the fox possessed boy. He was unsuccessful as Naruto flung him into a wall and he slumped over, unconscious. Kyuubi turned to face the others and readied himself to kill all of them

'Kyuubi? Stop.' ordered Naruto from inside his head.

'Why should I?' the demon roared. 'They made you break your promise to Shukaku. They must pay.'

'I can make them pay in guilt and self pity. I don't want them to hate me forever.'

Kyuubi growled again and submitted. As Naruto became himself again, another ANBU swept him into a wall with his arm, leaving the boy to fall to the ground. The crowd applauded the ANBU and readied to leave with Gaara. They stopped when they heard a noise behind them.

"S-stop!" snarled Naruto as he weakly stood, wincing as he did so.

The crowd turned back to look at him.

"Please." Several people gasped as Naruto pleaded with them.

"Please don't take Gaara away from me. He's all I have." Tars began streaming down his face. "This village has taken away everything from me. It took away my family, my happiness, my rights as a citizen of this village. It gave me no chance to prove who I was. You all labeled me as a danger, but I really am not! Please don't take away the last thing I have."

The villagers began to murmur amongst themselves. Naruto could hear a lot of support. The leader went ballistic.

"Are you all crazy? They're both dangerous!"

"No! The sand boy gave my daughter money for ice-cream when she dropped hers! He's no monster!"

The rest of the village agreed and began walking away. Naruto began to laugh in his happiness that the agreed. The ANBU looked at each other and nodded. They released Gaara and he ran to Naruto. Naruto didn't care what anyone would think. He didn't care and he probably never would care. He kissed Gaara right there in front of everyone in the village. Several of them, Kakashi included, made cat-calls and whistles. Naruto could feel his face getting warmer as he realized this.

Naruto pulled away and began crying harder. This time it was in happiness. Gaara was going to stay with him. And that was all he needed. Well, he still needed ramen, but that was beside the point. Gaara kissed him again and they went back upstairs to enjoy their hard won time together.

999prologue999

One year later, Naruto and Gaara were sitting under the same tree that Gaara had tormented Sasuke figures under. Naruto was leaning against the tree, with Gaara leaning on his chest. The weather was fair and the sky was blue with out a cloud in it. Naruto sighed and began stroking Gaara's silky hair. Gaara looked up at him and smiled contentedly. Naruto bent forward and kissed his forehead, right on the 'ai' tattoo. Gaara turned and kissed him fully, on the lips.

"Did I ever tell you that you taste like rain?" asked Gaara when they broke apart.

"No. I don't think so."

"You do, and I love it." Gaara wrapped an arm around him and rested his head on Naruto.

"Hey Gaara?"

"Hm?"

"Remember when I told you about my sanctuary all that time ago?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever find yours?"

Gaara thought for a moment before answering. When he did, it was with absolute certainty.

"Yes I did."

"Where is it?"

Gaara echoed Naruto's words from long ago.

"Right here with you."

999blee999

ZE END!!!!!!


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